Mistakes of My Blood
by L. Greene
Summary: Eridan Ampora took on his brother Cronus's role as Dualscar and joined The Condesce's crew. There, he falls for one of her Helmsmen, a Ψiioniic named Blueglow. Excerpt from a fic I'm planning tentatively entitled Blood Will Sing. Set near the end of the fic. T for language. Flushed Erisol, pale Erifef, black Erivris.


**I wanted to have this up like two weeks ago... I can't believe it took this long.**

**This is just an excerpt from that pre-Hivebent AU I mentioned that is now tentatively titled "Blood Will Sing." Haven't decided for sure, but I know blood will be in there somewhere. Each chapter will follow a different character in a rotation and the first chapter will have a cast list so you can tell who's who. It will have just about every pre- and post-Scratch troll except maybe Damara Megido.**

* * *

He didn't like the smile that crossed The Condesce's face suddenly. "My Helmsmen, Dualscar?" she asked, crossing one leg over the other. Despite her calm exterior, he could sense the anger simmering just beneath the surface. At first, he'd thought she'd said "Helmsman," though—she couldn't honestly think he was involved with both of them—but when she continued, he realized his mistake. "Well, it would be a shame to make them fight over you—I certainly wouldn't want to share _my_ toy, even with my twin."

Orphaner Dualscar looked numbly from one Ψiioniic to the other. _No!_ he wanted to shout at her, at all of them. _Not both of them! Just Sollux, just Blueglow!_ To most, they were identical, and physically, they were. But to him, there was nothing alike about them. When not fused to the ship, Redshine smiled, joked, made people either laugh or roll their eyes. Blueglow was more quiet and reserved, seldom speaking up, but when he did, people took notice. And he always focused his dull stare to a laser-sharp intensity whenever he looked at Dualscar. It was what first attracted his attention, that instant realization of something magnetic, pulling them together. He was so flushed for Sollux, it wasn't even funny anymore, but The Condesce thought he was involved with both...

"E%ecutor Darkleer."

Eridan struggled not to let his relief show on his face. He knew Darkleer, the one called Equius Zahhak, once known as The Engineer. He'd passed that name onto his brother Horuss after assuming the role of E%ecutor for The Condesce. He would be fine. Equius was a friend of sorts. But when Eridan turned to regard the blue-blooded E%ecutor striding toward the center of The Condesce's throne room, his heart sank. It wasn't Equius—this E%ecutor's horns were unbroken, and when he sneered at Dualscar, Eridan saw that his teeth were straight and whole. Then he remembered.

_Shit!_ Equius Zahhak was an exile now—The Expatri8, Mindfang called him. He'd been ordered to execute every immediate follower of The Signless after The Dolorosa had been sold into slavery and The Ψiioniix conscripted for The Condesce's ship, but The Expatri8 had failed and let The Disciple go. This was the younger Zahhak, Horuss, and Eridan knew him to be crueler and colder than the elder Zahhak had been. The first task he'd been given was to personally escort his brother into a state of exile, and he'd done it immediately, unquestioningly.

"Yes, Your Imperious Condescension?" the new Darkleer said, dropping to one knee and bowing his head. "I am yours to command."

"Normally, I would send Dualscar to The Grand Highblood for her to deal with as she sees fit. However, we _all_ know about this lowblood uprising on her hands," she added with amused malice dripping from her voice, "and I'm afraid she's far too busy to sentence someone as highblooded as Dualscar." The condescension in her tone—fitting, considering her name—was almost tangible. "We shall handle this here."

"Sister," The Princess started, her fuchsia eyes wide with concern, but The Condesce cut her off.

"Watch, Princess. One day, this will be your responsibility. Punishing those who betray you is the only way to earn the loyalty of your subjects." She turned back to Dualscar, missing the tears filling The Princess's eyes as she regarded her moirail, and he silently mourned. The Princess would make a wonderful ruler, but right now, he was waiting on the judgment of her older sister, The Condesce. He only wished they hadn't taken Ahab's Crosshairs from him—if he had them, he could save himself. And Sollux. Hell, he'd get The Princess and Redshine out of here, too. Everyone else on this godforsaken ship could burn for all he cared.

"E%ecutor. My Ψiioniix will not fight over Dualscar any longer. Halve him."

He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach and his eyes widen in shock. He was going to die! Darkleer was going to _bisect_ him! The bile rose in his throat and he fought not to pass out or throw up, but he was pretty sure he was swaying on the spot. Through the dizzy, panicked fog in his head, he heard Sollux scream, "Eridan!"

"Wait." The Condesce's curiosity had been piqued. She got to her feet, shoved Blueglow back to where he had been standing before he'd started forward a pace, and gave Eridan a dissecting gaze. "Dualscar."

"Yes," he managed around the terrified lump in his throat. "Your Imperious Condescension," he added, remembering himself.

"What is your name? Your _true_ name?" she clarified.

"Ampora. Eridan Ampora."

Her look hardened. "So. _Eridan._ Mind telling me where the _real_ Orphaner Dualscar is? He's about your height, your blood color, two lightning-bolt-shaped scars on his forehead." Her voice raised until she was screaming. "_WHERE THE HELL IS CRONUS AMPORA?_"

Through the shock that she knew his brother's real name, there was a strange surge of relief. It was over. She knew now. He hoped his brother wouldn't be mad at him, would at least be grateful he'd done as good of a job as he had in the time allotted. "Dead." He didn't bother with formalities anymore. He couldn't get any more dead than he already was.

"How?" she growled.

"He culled his kismesis, the first Marquise Mindfang. He... he couldn't forgive himself, so—" His voice caught. "He asked—_begged—_me to cull him." He dropped his head and stared at his hands. For a second, he could have sworn they were still drenched in his brother's blood. He could never quite scrub off that violet stain. Fulfilling that last request of Cronus's had been the hardest thing he'd ever done, aside from forcing himself to watch his eyes until the last flicker of life blew out like a candle.

"He was your brother."

"Yes."

"You were called The Eleventh before you assumed his role as Dualscar." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"Tell me, how long has the real Dualscar been dead?"

Eridan swallowed sharply. "Barely a sweep."

She sneered at him, stepping closer, so close that had she leaned forward a pace, she might have kissed him. "I bet the new Marquise Mindfang is out for Dualscar's blood. I bet the first Mindfang made her promise to hunt him to the ends of the galaxy and cull him."

"She is. Huntin' me," he said haltingly. He tried not to think about how they'd already met. Vriska Serket had become the closest thing he had to a kismesis, just as Aranea Serket had been Cronus's. Vriska wouldn't cull him... unless it was her own way of getting retribution on Cronus's memory. The symmetry of it wouldn't escape him.

"Well. Pirate or no, I certainly wouldn't be able to deny her the right to exact her revenge, even if it's not on the correct Dualscar."

For a second, hope flooded through him. He knew Vriska—she wouldn't cull him on The Condesce's orders. She'd only cull him if she deemed it the right thing to do. The fact that it was what The Condesce wanted would only make her _less_ inclined to cull him.

"Find her," The Condesce ordered. "Bring her here. Have _her_ cull him."

Eridan didn't even flinch. "You've been huntin' Marquise Mindfang for sweeps—surely you don't believe she didn't pass her tricks onto her replacement!"

The sting of The Condesce's hand against his cheek was quick, sharp, painful. He blinked back tears and cupped his cheek, his fingertips coming away stained with violet drops. Her rings must have bitten into his skin to draw blood like that. Over her shoulder, Eridan saw Sollux start forward again, but a faint crackle of red energy raked across his chest and he paused, looked from Eridan to Redshine and back, and stayed where he stood.

Eridan didn't understand. Together, Redshine and Blueglow had more than enough power to cull The Condesce—why didn't they? They were seldom together, so this was the perfect chance. One quick focused blast of energy at the back of her head and it would all be over. No one else need die—and when Feferi chose her title and assumed her sister's role as empress, she would spare the twins for freeing the empire from her sister's tyranny. Everything would be okay, and he and Sollux...

Well, he didn't need to think about that right now. He would have loved to imagine a future where they could be together, but he wasn't a fool—someone as high-blooded as himself taking someone as low-blooded as Sollux as a consort? People would talk. It would be almost universally understood that he followed The Signless, and he would be shunned by other high bloods. Not The Princess, but everyone else.

Would it be worth it? He imagined it would, but the life expectancy of someone of Blueglow's blood color when compared to his own was laughable. It would be short, maybe two or three dozen more sweeps—less than half of his life spent with him, followed by sweeps and sweeps of bitter loneliness—but, if he could still have that time, would it be enough?

"You pathetic little insect—we _will_ find Marquise Mindfang and bring her to justice. She _will_ cull you on my orders, right here in this throne room. And then, who knows? I may give her a lighter sentence as a reward for striking down a high-blooded revolutionary—life confined to the brig instead of her head on my prow. But make no mistake, _Dualscar_," she said, her voice hard and sarcastic, "you will die. Even if I leave you to rot in the brig until we find her, she will be the one to cull you. Darkleer, escort Dualscar to his cell."

E%ecutor Darkleer rose to his feet, grabbed Eridan by the arm, and said, "Immediately, Your Imperious Condescension."

The Condesce turned to the Defenders stationed behind her throne. "Defenders," she called as Darkleer began marching Eridan away, "escort Helmsman Blueglow to the engine room. Attach him to the engine and keep him there. Confine Helmsman Redshine to his quarters. He is _not_ to relieve Blueglow under any circumstances."

Eridan screamed Sollux's name as the Defenders laid hands on both twins and started to drag them away, separately. It was a death sentence—he already knew that. The Condesce planned on killing the Helmsmen, one at a time. He tried to pull himself free of Darkleer's grip, but he was truly a Zahhak—there was no force that could shake his strength, physically anyway. He struggled all the same, calling out Sollux's name as Blueglow tried to free himself as well, but the Defenders were smart. They'd already strapped psionic-inhibiting restraints on both Ψiioniix so they couldn't use their powers.

He caught one last look at The Princess, looking at both Helmsmen with one or two fuchsia-colored tears sliding down her cheeks—not enough to draw the attention of her sister, but she shook her head sadly.

And then Darkleer slammed the door closed behind them, and Eridan stopped struggling. It was over after all, and he would never see Sollux again.

* * *

**Hopefully you like it... Based on reactions, I'll either shelve this project for awhile or work on it immediately after I finish "Coming to Terms."**


End file.
